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No Smoking Day: The facts

11 people in the North East die from smoking-related diseases every day Photo: ITV News

Smoking statistics for the North East:

11 people in the North East die from smoking-related diseases every day

Smoke kills fifty percent of long term users.

But it's not all bad news for our region...

The number of people who smoke in the North East has reduced to 20 percent

The North East has seen the biggest drop in the number of smokers nationwide, with more people quitting than in any other region

This year's No Smoking Day campaign is focusing upon the financial incentives of giving up. According to the British Heart Foundation, money is one of the biggest incentives for people in our region to give up smoking.

"Many smokers in the North East don't realise how much money they're actually wasting each time they hand their money over to buy a pack of cigarettes.

"Sometimes this can put a real strain on a family's finances, especially when you add up how much smoking is costing you on a weekly basis and what you could have spent your money on instead."

– Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh

**On average, a 20-a-day smoker will spend £7.00 on a packet of cigarettes.

***This means you could save:*

£49 in one week - enough to pay for a family trip to the cinema or for a monthly mobile phone bill

£98 in a fortnight - enough for the weekly family shop or to book an overnight stay in a hotel

£210 in a month - enough to pay quarterly gas and electric bills or for tickets to a music festival

£630 in 3 months - enough to tax, fuel and insure your car, or to buy a football season ticket

£1260 in 6 months - enough to redecorate a room or buy a second-hand car

£2555 in one year - enough to take the family on a week's holiday in Spain

"If you've quite before but not succeeded you shouldn't feel like a failure. It can often take a few attempts before you succeed for goof and tens of thousands in the North East have managed to quit.

"The important thing is never to give up on quitting.

There are hundreds of easy, convenient locations in the North East where you can get friendly help through the NHS Stop Smoking Service. With their support, smokers are up to four times more likely to quit successfully."

– Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh

If you want to quit smoking you can contact:

Newcastle and North Tyneside NHS Stop Smoking Service on 0191 229 2910